“Do people tell you you look like…” is often the start of a seemingly innocuous celebrity/fan interaction.
And yet, as Fleishman is in Trouble star Claire Danes points out, it can be a tremendously awkward thing to respond to. “I think they think they’re being gracious, and they are, but I’m stymied by that,” she says. “It’s like I short circuit.”
Others acknowledge that they’ve taken the out when fans approach, either uncertain of exactly who they are or of whether they are, in fact, famous. “I say no,” offers Yellowjackets star Melanie Lynskey, and both Jennifer Garner and Emma D’Arcy admit they’ve done the same.
As part of The Hollywood Reporter‘s Emmy roundtable series this year, we asked every participant what they typically hear when fans approach them on the street and how they regularly respond. The answers varied significantly.
Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us, The Mandalorian
“I remember, earlier on, because of Game of Thrones and the way my character died, people were super into taking selfies with their thumbs in my eyes. And at first, I was so earnest and happy about the success of the character in the show, I’d let them! And then I remember getting a bit of an eye infection.”
“I had a funny one on a plane. It was a nighttime flight, I was full-on sleeping, and I get a little shake, waking me up. This woman kneels down, and she was like, ‘I’m sorry, I was just wondering if you had any advice for an actor?’ I said, ‘Just keep on moving.’” (Laughs)
“A lot of what I get recognized for now is either Scream or Wednesday, and Wednesday has a much wider audience than I anticipated, at least age-wise: it’s older people and younger people. But I’ve had a couple of weird plane stories, too, where I’ve woken up to notes or things like that. I got off one yesterday, and at the end, the flight attendant took her hair down out of the bun and it was in two braids and she took her bangs down and she said, ‘You made me do this.’”
“It was split down the middle: Girls would come up to me and say, ‘You’re that lady from Legally Blonde,’ and guys would always say American Pie. And thank God White Lotus came along and that got eliminated. Now, it’s just, ‘You’re the lady from White Lotus.
“A lot of people who are working at restaurants right now will be like, ‘Hey, The Bear was really awful to watch. Thanks for making it.’ I’m like, ‘You’re welcome?’ A guy also came up to me in Chicago and said, ‘Hey, I recognize you from the show and I really hated your character. She was really annoying. Great job.’ I was like, ‘Thanks, dawg. Really appreciate it.’ But then also Abbott. I did an episode of Abbott, and I was like, ‘Oh, I love this. People just love this show.’ There’s a lot of projection — beautiful projection that I’m grateful for, but a lot of projection on The Bear. Somebody will be like, ‘I worked a restaurant job, do you want to hear the seven worst things that happened to me?’”
“I get The Dude. People just dig The Big Lebowski, it’s such a good movie.”
“I also get The Dude, which I don’t understand. I wasn’t in the movie, and I’m not Jeff Bridges. Nah, it was The Sopranos for a long time, and now it’s a lot of White Lotus from young people. Some people want to take a picture with me pretending I have a gun to their head, and I never will do that. I’ll strangle them, but I won’t put a gun to their head.” (Laughs)
“I get asked if I’m me because I look quite different in real life, which actually presents a possible out because there’s a temptation to say, ‘No, but I get that all the time.’”
“I’ve taken the out for sure! I get a lot of 13 Going on 30. It’s, ‘Oh, it’s my comfort movie.’ Or, ‘It’s my wife’s favorite movie,’ or God forbid, ‘My mom’s favorite movie.’
MELANIE LYNSKEY, Yellowjackets, The Last of Us
“If someone comes up and says, ‘My dad loves you,’ then I know they’re going to talk about Two and a Half Men. But it’s been all sorts of things. Recently, it’s been for Yellowjackets. If someone comes up and says, ‘Are you famous?’ which sometimes happens, I say no.
“The new one, which is weird, is people feel like they can touch me. I was with my kids, pushing a stroller, and this guy just grabs me and he’s like, ‘Hey, man, love your show,’ and I said, ‘No touchy.’ That’s as aggressive as I could be. ‘No touchy.’”
“I get Muppets a lot. The kids who were 10 when they saw it are in their 20s now, and that’s a freaky experience. And Forgetting Sarah Marshall. It’s usually an odd dynamic because the kids have seen Muppets, and the parents have seen me naked.”
“I’m apparently married to everyone. I’m everyone’s husband. Like, ‘Hey, husband, dinner’s ready.’ Then they follow me, and I jump in the SUV and dart out.”
CLAIRE DANES, Fleishman Is In Trouble
“It’s shocking how many people approach me with their appreciation for My So-Called Life. I mean, that was a verrrry long time ago, but it’s very heartening, teenagers today are still finding it. And I love it, too. It’s still very much a part of my so-called life.”
“For me, it was Glenn [from The Walking Dead] for a long time. It’d be like, ‘I stopped watching when you died,’ which I don’t believe. Like, I finished all the seasons. But now, after Beef came out, they’re like, ‘Are you the guy in Beef?’ And that’s fun.
“I got Chris [from Everybody Hates Chris] for a long time, and will continue to. Usually, it’s just something that’s hollered from 15 feet behind me as they figure it out. I also get The Walking Dead. People are still really upset with how that went. Really upset. They’re happy to see me, and then they’re like, ‘They did you wrong.’ I’m like, ‘No, it was scripted. It’s okay. They didn’t do anything to me.’ But with Abbott, now is the first time I’m getting ‘Mr.’ in front of anything. I’m getting Mr. Eddie. So I’m an adult, y’all.”
EVAN PETERS, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
“I mostly get American Horror Story. It’s ‘Can I take your picture?’ or ‘I’ve seen your show.’”
“For me, it’s all about Abbott Elementary, and oh my God, it’s just such an outpouring of love. And it’s from little kids to their grandparents. It’s the ones who talk to me in the bathroom, now that’s a problem. In the toilet at the airport, it’s like, ‘Oh my goodness!’ Yeah. ‘Thank you, thank you. May I continue now?’”
“I usually get, ‘I’m a huge fan of your music.’ I’m like, ‘I’m not DJ Khaled.’ (Laughter) I get a lot of Mo, the series, too, and, as far as representation, people are very enthusiastic about it and how authentic and grounded it is.”
“Because I’m never on anything consistently, they feel like albums or something. The odd special, the Broadway show, they’re all compartmentalized. Yesterday someone said, ‘I loved your latest thing.’ I liked that.”
“Right now, because of Swarm, I’m getting, ‘Who’s your favorite artist?’ And I don’t have an answer. It’s ironic that I’m playing the ultimate stan because the first time I went to a concert was in 2018. I don’t really like to stand up that long!”
“When I’m recognized, it’s usually in Indian spaces, being at Powwows or wherever, and usually it’s for Reservation Dogs and the impact that the show’s had. Usually it’s followed by, ‘Wow, you’re so much smaller in real life than you look on camera.’ And also, ‘Wow, they really don’t do you justice on the show,’ which I’m like, ‘Dang it.’”
“I get a lot of, ‘You’re shorter in person. I thought you’d be bigger.’ I’m like, ‘That’s just my hair.’”
Source: Hollywood
